A Christian preacher says that he was banned and initially arrested for reading from the Bible aloud outside St. Paul's Cathedral in London, after church staff complained. The cathedral later explained it is seeking to provide a &quot;safe space.&quot;

Ken Francis, hat tipped below, writes to inform us of this vid featuring Frank Turek, of I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist fame, debating non-theist anthropologist Dennis Nørmark last year:
Nørmark:
In his role as a critic of literature, and formerly also of television, for both the

Christians today are facing more challenges than ever. The Poached Egg exists to equip Christians to meet those challenges and be more confident in their faith and become more effective witnesses for Christ. If you find these articles and posts useful, please consider partnering with me to continue this work that God has laid on my heart.

This simple question is credited with carrying Christianity into Ethiopia. (1) Acts chapter 8 tells of Philip being led to the desert by an angel to meet an officer from the court of the Queen of Ethiopia. Philip finds him reading an Isaiah scroll containing prophecies about the Messiah. At this point, Philip could have walked up and boldly declared, "I have been sent to you today to proclaim the good news of Jesus the Messiah!" But he didn't. He met this man right where he was at and asked a good question, which then led to an explanation of the gospel. This is apologetics at its best.

As a mother of a child with special needs and a deacon, this breaks my heart. If there’s no place for these children in the church, where are they welcome? We must do better and recognize the image of God in everyone.

There are things in the world I do not understand, in the least. Homosexuality and the transgender thing are right at the top, along with pedophiles, rightfully so. All of humanity was created in the image and likeness of our Creator and there is nothing, absolutely nothing about the fore mentioned that contains any image or likeness to God. The word “devil” comes from a root, diabolical, and all of what we see in the world today is nothing more than Satan’s corruption of minds with no sense of God within them. To further the issue, these minds truly believe they can convince the rest of their foolishness, an ego feeding proposition Satan delights in. The more direct push back against such by the vast majority of people who will not be intimated or fear of reprisal by the godless is what is expected. This is not about tolerance or even love of our enemy, rather, this is the battle of hearts and minds that Christ properly advised will be our calling.

The short answer is yes. An example is the International Society of Women in Apologetics (ISWA). ISWA is a loosely-connected group of Christian women who are theologically, philosophically, and apologetically inclined, and have a passion for encouraging and equipping other women in the church who are interested in learning how to think more deeply and intelligently about their faith.) There website is Women in Apologetics .

In this re-posted podcast, J. Warner takes a look at ten principles necessary for the proper reading of the Bible as we examine a number of apparent Bible contradictions and the claim that the God of the Old Testament is cruel and evil.

I talked to her a little bit about how Jesus shows that there’s a brokenness, there’s a skewedness, to all of us that plays out even in our sexuality, for every single one of us. I wanted to see how far I could go in the conversation without saying anything that is specific to her lesbianism.

A perception commonly articulated in the media is that questioning evolution has the potential to undermine the entire scientific enterprise. That’s what we’re told — and nothing less. But to adapt Wesley Smith’s point, if the future of science is really at risk , then surely not debating evolution is folly.

J. Warner Wallace was interviewed by Bobby Conway (The One Minute Apologist) and discussed a common objection to Christianity. Did the apostles lie about the resurrection of Jesus? What is required for a conspiracy to be successful and were these factors present for the disciples?

Last week, science journalists reported on the discovery of a "nearby alien planet" that might be "capable of supporting life." Ross 128b lies approximately 11 light-years from earth and, according to a new study, "is likely a rocky and temperate world" that "could potentially have liquid water on its surface." Ross 128b appears to lie within the "habitable zone" of its star and boasts a surface "equilibrium temperature" of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Reports involving planets like Ross 128b typically ignite the imagination of ET enthusiasts and science fiction writers, but should this latest discovery provide real hope that we aren't alone in the universe?

Why People Stop Believing by Paul Chamberlain
This book addresses a growing need in apologetic literature. It is a response to the growing wave of Christian leaders who are rejecting Christianity and becoming some of its most ardent critics, often supported by a plethora of new organizations arising to encourage such people to cut ties to their faith. This is a new challenge from a different breed of critics who are using their instant credibility and insider’s knowledge of theology, the Bible, church history, even apologetics, to debunk the faith they once believed and promoted. They have taken aim at the foundations of Christianity, including God, the Scriptures, miracles and the supernatural, and Christianity’s perceived inherent prohibition on free enquiry.

In this lab, Pastor John reminds us that the Bible is like no other book in the history of the world. Man wrote it, but God spoke it. For the study guide, visit https://www.desiringgod.org/labs/writ...

Many have argued about the validity of C. S. Lewis’s apologetic arguments. (They are sound.) This essay will look at Lewis as a practical role model for winsome Christian apologists. What made him a good one? He understood the evangelistic situation we face in the modern world, in which sin and true moral guilt are missing concepts and the biblical worldview a foreign country to most people, yet he was not tempted to alter the gospel to make it more palatable to the evolving audience. He understood how to communicate abstruse ideas and linear arguments in a way that normal human beings can follow. He understood that good arguments are a necessary but not a sufficient condition of an effective apologia. He knew how to make his arguments meaningful by calling imagination to the aid of reason and by putting them in the context of a life of loving service. This combination of features made him the greatest apologist of the twentieth century. The conclusion for us is to “go thou and do likewise.”

Consequently, faith and rationality are often seen as incompatible, mutually exclusive terms. They are treated as opposite approaches to truth. On a popular level, it is assumed by many unbelievers that if a person is rational, they have no need for faith. On a personal level, it is assumed by many believers that if a person has faith, there is no need for rationality.

Perhaps the most helpful thing I can do is to walk Christopher through my process of self-understanding and how the Lord has helped me to make some war on these sins. Let me name them and just put a sentence of description on each one so that we just let the ugliness be revealed. It’s so easy to describe our sins in a self-excusing way, but if you name your sins and then define them, it starts to look pretty bad.

All of God’s saints, if allowed to live long enough, are led into the lonely, disorienting, weary wilderness. And while there, we lament. And since laments are often better sung than said, it’s always been the poets and songwriters who help us most.

Christian Hedonism says this: Pursue your enjoyment with all your might, namely, the enjoyment of God as a person. Become the kind of teenager who finds God more desirable than anything else. And when you do enjoy anything else — like pizza, or football, or music, or friends — let all that trigger greater gladness in God himself. Then those things don’t become idols. They become tastes of God’s goodness and mercy and excellence — tastes that God himself is most satisfying.

If you are not resting as a parent in your identity in Christ, you will look for identity in your children. Join me online for a brand new streaming event. Live on August 3-4, on-demand until November 30 --> parenting.paultripp.com pic.twitter.com/AM19pMUice

We all have our part to play in this thing we call church. You are not called to sit injured on the bench watching others run and score. You can be God’s help to a fellow struggler. When we find ourselves wondering, “Who will love me?” let’s ask ourselves, “Whom can I love?” because there are people in your church who need you today, this week, this month, and this year. You can be Christ to them, not because you are perfect, but because his grace is enough, and his power is made perfect in weakness.

Defending Christianity - Check out These 5 Apologists (2018) When it comes to defending Christianity (apologetics), look no further than these 5 apologists: John Lennox, J. Warner Wallace, Frank Turek, Ravi Zacharias, and William Lane Craig; I provide a short clip from each. If you’re new to my channel, welcome! Here you will find videos exposing atheism, defending Christianity (apologetics), and promoting conservatism. Subscribe for weekly videos! Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKmU... Learn why Christianity is reasonable: https://amzn.to/2zdXMrV Watch next - Problems with Atheism: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Christian Apologetics: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Questions About Christianity: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Subscribe for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKmU... Atheism Makes No Sense: https://youtu.be/h-X0RgR5R1w Without God, There Is No Meaning: https://youtu.be/osvcnVfdF7w What Is Mere Christianity: https://youtu.be/SxI1Hen6RLk If God Knows Everything, How Is There Free Will: https://youtu.

Two, this union, if you can dare to call it that, is not being joined in heaven. Jesus said, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6). This is what makes weddings awesome. They are not human accomplishments. God joins a man and a woman. Marriage is made in heaven, Jesus said (Mark 10:9), not between two people merely, or a pastor or a judge. This pairing of two men or two women is not being joined in heaven. And to give the impression that it is, is an offense to heaven.

This is perhaps one of the two main points that Luther intends to make when he talks about a doctrine of vocation. His main verse to support this assertion is 1 Corinthians 7:20. The text comes in the midst of Paul answering the Corinthians questions about marriage. Apparently, the ancient Corinthians had such an over-realized eschatology that they though the normal social structures and roles of this life were already falling away. No, says Paul, if you are married, becoming a Christian means not only that you stay faithfully married to your spouse (as far as it depends on you), but you also now have concern for your spouse’s salvation. In the midst of this discussion of marriage, Paul also mentions slavery and being circumcised or uncircumcised. These are social statuses or descriptions of that remain unchanged when one becomes a believer. The language of Paul here is striking. Of the slave or the married or the uncircumcised man, the apostle says, “Each one—in the calling in which he was called, in this, he must remain” (1 Cor 7:20, my translation). The words translated “calling” or “called” here are normally words applied to believers in their effectual calling of God to salvation.

Paul reminds us that to live is Christ, to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). To live is not to marry. To live is not to raise children. To live is not to find “the one.” To live is Jesus Christ. In Philippians 1:23, Paul was hard pressed between the thought of continuing to live on mission (to live) and being with Christ (to die).

At a very basic level, took the kid to a tenebrae service this year. First one since he had started speech therapy. But even for as quiet as he was, the couple in front of us felt disturbed and moved half way through.

The ghost of God’s apparent absence walks through the movements of the song, especially in the repeated taunt “Where is your God?” (Psalm 42:3, 10). Unlike the author of Psalm 115, who could boldly answer back, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3), the author of Psalms 42–43 finds himself repeating the questions back to God: “Why have you forgotten me? . . . Why have you rejected me?” (Psalm 42:9; Psalm 43:2).

So let me summarize the heart of Christian fasting and why we Christians do it. One way to say it is that fasting is the hungry Christian handmaid of faith. Fasting is not a replacement for faith in Jesus. It is a servant of faith in Jesus. Fasting is a way of saying with our stomach and our whole body how much we need and want and trust Jesus. It is a way of saying that we are not going to be enslaved by food as the source of our satisfaction. We will use the renunciation of food from time to time to express that Jesus is better than food. Jesus is more needful than food.

In this stimulating conversation with Dr. Russell Moore, Talbot Professor Dr. Scott Rae explores how to navigate the difficult terrain of meaningful cultural engagement while staying faithful to the Bible. Dr. Moore is the President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the public policy and ethics think tank for the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. Dr. Moore is featured regularly in various news media and has become one of the leading spokespersons for Christian faith in public life. Join us for this insightful discussion. [Show notes, including a full transcript and more information on today's guest are available at biola.edu/thinkbiblically]

Alan Shlemon of Stand to Reason shares how to continue a Gospel-centered conversation with a friend or family member who says, "Enough of that!" For more information, visit str.org. Connect with us: Twitter: https://twitter.com/STRtweets Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standtoreaso... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standtoreason/ Have a question or comment? Call Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason live Tuesdays 4-6pm Pacific Time - (855) 243-9975. If you'd like to submit your question ahead of time, fill out the online form here: https://www.str.org/training/broadcast

Throughout the past several weeks, we have been exploring who the authors of the books of the New Testament were. Already we have seen that there are good reasons for supporting the traditional view that the apostles Matthew and John wrote the Gospels attributed to them, John Mark writing the Second Gospel which was a documentation of Simon Peter’s testimony, Dr. Luke as the author of the Third Gospel and Acts after having attributed information from numerous eyewitnesses, and the apostle Paul as the author of all thirteen epistles attributed to him. Now, we examine a more mysterious letter. Let’s look at the Book of Hebrews.

Eventually, the perception of nature as operating with law-governed autonomy came to include investigation into matters of origins. Perhaps the best-known of these kinds of scientific projects is Darwinian evolutionary theory. Darwin’s goal was to formulate an explanation for the apparent design in nature without invoking the work of a Designer. Essentially, he believed that elucidating a natural mechanism by which species arise and diversify (evolution by natural selection operating on natural variations) removed any need for divine creative agency. Without a doubt, the acceptance and expansion of Darwin’s work has influenced some to adopt unfriendly or even hostile perspectives on the place of religion in contemporary culture, seeing religious ideas about superhuman powers as being in opposition to scientific explanations or even with rationality in general. (As as side note, Peter Berger has pointed out in

“The Department of Defense announced today that they will provide $200 million to Ukraine in security cooperation funds for additional training, equipment and advisory efforts to build the defensive capacity of Ukraine’s forces.“ defense.gov/News/News-Rele…

In a recent interview, Wells asked Christians to consider the consequences of the smartphone. “What is it doing to our minds when we are living with this constant distraction? We are, in fact, now living with a parallel universe, a virtual universe that can take all of the time we have. So, what happens to us when we are in constant motion, when we are addicted to constant visual stimulation? What happens to us? That is the big question.”

Over $116 million worth of product has been reportedly destroyed over five years. Burberry is not the only luxurious label to ditch its unsold stock, following suit with the likes of Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Experts say this is a fairly common practice in the fashion industry, as brands try to retain their exclusivity.

John and Ed discuss the confusion—and political polarization—surrounding Trump’s meeting with Putin in Helsinki. They also review Turkey’s outrageous imprisonment of American pastor Andrew Brunson, as well as a new pamphlet by the Human Rights Campaign. bit.ly/2LA05ac pic.twitter.com/ee91TwBSCA

We get a steady stream of emails from listeners asking about unanswered prayers, like this one from a podcast listener named Luis. “Hello, Pastor John. In Philippians 4:19, I read this promise: ‘God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.’ But I don’t see God providing as his word says he would. My prayers go up, but it seems like God is silent, or he constantly answers me with an implied ‘no.’ This causes me to feel discouraged and ignored. How do I respond to this ‘no’ from God when I pray for good things?”

Ewert’s results are a Copernican Revolution moment. First, for the sample computer software data, not surprisingly the null model performed poorly. Computer software is highly organized, and there are relationships between different computer programs, and how they draw from foundational software libraries. But comparing the common descent and dependency graph models, the latter performs far better at modeling the software “species.” In other words, the design and development of computer software is far better described and modeled by a dependency graph than by a common descent tree.

What to pray for this week: Rather, thank you for forming and knitting us in our mother’s womb. Praise you for so carefully making us for your glory. And give us the determination to purposefully protect the unborn. Download 21 Days of Prayer for Life! bit.ly/2CkG6ff pic.twitter.com/HNHuP6VIWo

Rick Curry was born without most of his right arm, but the founder of the Dog Tag Bakery and Fellowship program in D.C., said being one-handed forced him to adapt. Eventually, that necessity became a skill, a gift. @DogTagBakery bit.ly/2Nz11fQ pic.twitter.com/4m0yxUSnKB

Superficial #socialmedia community is never going to be enough for those who were made for face-to-face communion with God and each other. Marriage, deep friendship, and the bond of the Christian family—these things are irreplaceable. bit.ly/2A0YKb0 pic.twitter.com/pNTGP97sw3

The creation of #art in the tabernacle was not optional; God commanded it. And far from being relegated to the edges of worship, artistic images in both the tabernacle and the Temple “stood at the heart of the worshipping life of the Israelite people.” bit.ly/2uBi35F pic.twitter.com/tcfFOv6Ecv

The people that the writer of Hebrews is addressing were under great pressure to give up on Christ and go back to their traditional Jewish belief. But here the writer says to consider Noah, to look at what his faith brought him. Think of what it took for Noah to be righteous in his generation. He constructed an Ark for the saving of his household, and for years he endured a world consumed with wickedness, which required complete faith in God’s faithfulness because he knew God was going to destroy the world. Therefore,